New Zealand’s housing crisis is no longer confined to Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, with new research from The Salvation Army showing growing housing pressure across regional communities as affordability, rental shortages and homelessness continue to affect more whānau. The report identifies increasing pressure on rental housing, ongoing affordability challenges for first-home buyers and growing demand for emergency and transitional housing in provincial towns and districts. The report also highlights the interconnected nature of New Zealand’s housing challenges, noting that pressures in larger cities often flow into neighbouring districts as people seek more affordable places to live. Johnson says addressing the housing crisis will require sustained long-term investment rather than short-term policy responses. For Johnson, the message is clear: solving New Zealand’s housing crisis will require recognising that the pressures now extend well beyond the country’s largest urban areas and demand solutions that work for every region.